Duel Academy 1-Come Back of The Shadow Games!
by Hisoka Hikari
Summary: It's been 10 years since the duel ritual between Yugi Mutou and Pharaoh Atem. Akane Hoshimi, a young inspiring Spellcaster Duelist whose about to start her first year of Duel Academy. There she meets and befriends Jaden Yuki, Alexis Rhodes, Zane and Syrus Truesdale, and Annabelle Bakura. Can Akane help defeat the Shadow Games while falling in love or well, she crash and burn?
1. 1: Enter Akane Hoshimi!

__**1: Enter Akane Hoshimi!**__

Domino City was home to the greatest Duelists on the Pro-Dueling Circuit, like Seto Kaiba, the CEO of Kaiba Corp; Joey Wheeler, a duelist with so much good luck that to others it wasn't funny, and the King of Games, Yugi Mutou. The city was also home to the Kaiba Corp Duel Dome where teenagers were to take a test to get into a school for dueling called Duel Academy.

One of those teenagers was a 15-year-old girl who sat in the stands watching the duels that were taking place. The girl let out a sigh as she tucked a strand of black that's tinted blue in a certain lights hair behind her right ear, her crimson eyes scanning the duels below her. The young girl was what most of the attendees would have called pretty, while the remainder, which were mostly made up of teenage boys, would have thought she was beautiful. She would not have agreed with either group, though. When she compared herself to either Mai Valentine or the other girls at Duel Academy.

The girl looked at the school uniform she was wearing: a white blazer over a black v-neck button down shirt, with a white dress shirt underneath, a midnight blue mini skirt, black mid-thigh length socks, and brown dress shoes. She wore a dog tag hanging off a black leather dog collar-like chocker around the neck as well. Yup, there was no doubt in her mind that she was as plain as could be, though she knew that others might argue that.

"**Will Akane Hoshimi please report to Field 5**?** I repeat, will Akane Hoshimi please report to Field 5**?"

The young girl smirked as she stood up and all eyes seemed to turn to her as she walked down the stairs heading for the field, putting on her duel disk and slipping her cards into the holder as she went. A young boy with two tone hair just barely made it to the exam at roughly the same time. He ran forward to watch the duels as soon as he entered the building.

"Look at them go," the boy said, though what really caught his attention was a guy with black and gray eyes who had just won his match. "Wow, that last guy really tore it up."

"Yeah," a voice next to him agreed. "That's Bastion Misawa. I heard that he got the highest score on the Entrance Exam out of all of us applicants."

"Wow," the boy said. "I just barely passed mine."

"Yeah, me, too," the voice agreed. "I'm Syrus, by the way. I have a thing where I get test anxiety. I don't know how I passed my exam."

The boy slapped him on the back with a laugh.

"Well, congratulations, you're in," the boy told him. "I'll be in as soon as I win my duel."

Syrus looked at the boy in shock.

"Wait, you haven't dueled yet?" he asked.

"Nope," the boy answered.

"Well, I think you have a problem," Syrus said. "I think the duel over there, the one with the dark haired haired girl, is supposed to be the last duel."

The boy was starting to freak out, but then Bastion showed up and took a seat in front of them. He took off his duel disk before putting it down. The boy leaned on the railing, smiling at Bastion, calm again.

"That was a tight duel, Bastion," the boy told him.

"Thank you," Bastion thanked him.

The three of them looked down at the field just in time to see a young girl with black that's tinted blue in a certain lights hair that reached her hips step onto the duel field. Her bangs covered her forehead, with a slight part in the middle so that the longer sides fell alongside her face to frame her porcelain skin beautifully. She had crimson colored eyes and an hourglass figure that boys drooling or blushing in the three boys case.

When Akane arrived at the duel field, she was standing face to face with an exam prompter who smirked at her.

"Your name?" the examiner asked.

"Akane Hoshimi," she answered.

"Well, Miss Hoshimi, you know the rules," he said. "You win, you're in, but if not then better luck next year. Ready?"

"Oh, I'm ready," Akane answered as she activated her duel disk. "Let's kick it up a notch!"

Akane: 4000

Examiner: 4000

"I'll go first," the examiner told her as he drew his sixth card. "I summon Axe Dragonute in attack mode!" A dark blue dragon with lavender colored neck, forearms, stomach, and thighs appeared on the field carrying an ax. Its wings were outlined in blue and it had 2000 Attack Points. "I'll place two cards face down and end my turn."

"My draw!" Akane stated as she drew a card.

Syrus and the two-tone brown haired boy leaned a bit over the railing of where they where standing.

"Who is she?" Syrus asked.

"Her name is Akane Hoshimi," Bastion answered as he crossed his arms.

"I wonder what kind of deck she has," the boy said.

"Yeah, same here."

"I activate the magic card known as Double Summon!" Akane announced as she held up the card. "This let's me normal summon twice this turn. So I summon Magician's Valkyria in attack mode!" A girl who looked a lot like the Dark Magician Girl only with light brown hair and grayish blue eyes appeared on the field in front of Akane with 1600 Attack Points. "Next, because of my spell card, I summon a second Magician's Valkyria in attack mode!" Akane watched with a smirk as her second spellcaster appeared next to the first. "And thanks to both of my Magician's Valkyrias' effect, you can't attack any of my spellcasters." The Examiner looked at his hand before looking back at her monsters. "I know what your thinking and it won't help. Cause you see, both of my Magician's Valkyrias protect each other. So good luck getting around them."

"Wow," Bastion breathed the word in surprise as he watched. "She was able to get two monsters out for the price of one."

"So she uses Spellcaster-Type monsters," the brown haired boy said with a smile. "Sweet."

The three boys weren't the only ones watching Akane's duel with interest though for different reasons.

"Not bad," a teal haired boy said as he watched the duel. "But, they're all still weak compared to that Axe Dragonute."

"You're right, Zane," a girl with dirty blonde hair agreed. "However, you have to take into account her Valkyries effect."

The two of them turned back to the duel wondering how the examiner was going to get around that combination.

"I'll throw down two face downs and end my turn," Akane concluded.

"Then it's my turn," the examiner said as he drew his next card. "I'll activate the magic card known as Change of Heart!" The examiner held the card up for Akane to see making her eyes narrow. "This card allows me to take control of one of your monsters and seeing you only have two Magician's Valkyries out then you know that I'm after the first Magician's Valkyria." Akane growled under her breath as her monster went over to the examiner's side of the field. "Now my Axe Dragonute can attack your second Magician's Valkyria!"

His dragon flew at her spellcaster, swinging its ax down, and destroying the Magician's Valkyria. Her Life Points dropped to 3600.

"And because I attacked this turn, I have to switch my Axe Dragonute into defense mode," the examiner concluded. "But, I still have your own monster to attack you with. Go Magician's Valkyria attack your master directly with Mystic Scepter Blast!" Akane crossed her arms in front of her as her own monster attacked her making her life points drop to 2000. "And now I'll end my turn. And since it's the end of my turn, your monster returns to your side of the field."

Akane smirked as she drew her new card once her Magician's Valkyria was back on her side of the field.

"First things first, I'll activate Monster Reborn to bring back the Magician's Valkyria that's in my graveyard," Akane explained to him as her female spellcaster reappeared. "Second of all I'll summon White Magician Pikeru in attack mode."

An adorable pink haired girl wearing a sheep looking hat and white clothes appeared inbetween the two Magician's Valkyrias with 1200 Attack Points. Every girl in the stands awe at the sight of the monster making Akane to roll her eyes. Bastion sat up a bit straighter with a look of wonder on his face.

"I wonder what she has planned," Bastion said in a thoughtful tone.

_"_What do you mean, Bastion?_" _Syrus asked.

_"_What I mean is that Akane duels with a Spellcaster-type deck that she got when she was 14 years old after winning a tournament sponsored by Industrial Illusions."

_"_Wow,_"_ the brown haired boy breathed in awe. _"_That's so cool._" _

_"_I heard that Maximilian J. Pegasus was there for the finals,_"_ Syrus added in.

Bastion nodded, his eyes on Akane.

"Now I think my first Magician's Valkyria wants a little pay back and she'll get it by taking out on your dragon!" Akane exclaimed as her Spellcaster raised her scepter into the air before attacking and destroyed the examiner's dragon. "Now my second Magician's Valkyria can attack you directly with Mystic Scepter Blast!" The examiner let out a cry as Akane's second spellcaster attack him lowing his life points to 2400. "And don't think that I'm done yet because now I'll let my White Magician Pikeru attack you directly as well." The little girl let out a giggle before firing off an energy blast which dropped the examiner's life points to 1200. "Now I'll throw down a face down and end my turn."

"I'll play Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards," the examiner told her once he had finished his initial Draw Phase. Akane just rolled her eyes as he drew his two new cards. "Next, I summon Lord of Dragons in attack mode!" A Spellcaster-type monster appeared on the field with 1200 Attack Points. "Now I'll activate the Flute of Summoning Dragons, and because I have Lord of Dragons on the field, I can summon up to two Dragon-type monsters." The spellcaster brought the flute to its lips before blowing into it. "So I'll summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Darkflare Dragon!" Two dragons appeared on the field, glaring down at Akane's Spellcasters. Both of their Attack scores were at 2400 points. "For now I'll end my turn with a face down."

"My turn then," Akane announced as she drew a new card. "And because it's my stand by phase then my White Magician Pikeru's effect kicks in. For everyone monster I have out on the field I gain 400 life points. And because I have three that means that I gain 1200 points making my life points 3200." The little girl giggled once again as she turned to her card holder and waved her wand increasing Akane's life points up to 3200 like she said. "Now that's out of the way, I activate the magic card Ancient Rules. This magic card allows me to summon a level 5 or higher normal monster from my hand." Akane smirked as she pulled a card from her hand. "And I have just the card, too. I summon the Dark Magician to the field in attack point!" A young male wearing dark blue robes outlined in red appeared on the field with his arms crossed. Akane felt her smirk grow bigger as the examiner swallowed. "I activate one of my face downs. The trap card known as Jar of Greed which let's me drew one card from my deck."

Up in the balcony, Zane leaned a bit more forward wondering where Akane was going with her moves.

"I don't get it," the girl next to him said. "She has two Magician's Valkyria, a White Magician Pikeru, and now a Dark Magician out on the field." The blond looked over at Zane. "Just what is she aiming for?"

"I think we're about to find out Alexis," Zane answered while keeping his eyes on the field.

The girl, Alexis, turned back to the duel to see just what Akane has planed who just drew her new card.

"Now I activate the spell card that I just drew Card of Sanctity. Thanks to this card we drew till we're holding 6 cards in our hand." Both the examiner and Akane drew more cards from their decks. Akane looked at the cards she drew before smirking bigger then ever as she looked up at the examiner. "Your in for it now. I activate one of my favorite magic cards known as Bond Between Teacher And Student. This little magic card allows me to summon a Dark Magician Girl out on the field in defense mode if I have a Dark Magician out."

Everyone watched in awe as a blond haired, green eyed girl appeared on the field with 1700 defense points.

"She a cutie," Syrus sighed as he looked at the Dark Magician Girl with a dreamy look.

The brown haired boy and Bastion sweat dropped as nearly every boy where also looking at the female monster with a dreamy look.

"Are you done yet?" the examiner asked with a sigh.

"I'm far from done, cause I activate a little number known as Dark Magic Twin Burst!" Akane countered. "And thanks to this card my Dark Magician gains attack points equal to my Dark Magician Girl's attack until the end of my turn, but I'm afraid that this duel is over with." The Dark Magician glowed a dark blue color as his attack points went up to 4500. "Now my Dark Magician attack the examiner's Red-Eyes Black Dragon and end this!" The Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl combined their scepters together readying to attack. "Attack! Twin Dark Magic Attack!" The energy that the two spellcasters gathered together shot at the examiner's monster and brought his life points down to 0. Akane gave a smirk as did a three finger salute. "Now That's a Magic Show."

"Welcome to Duel Academy, Miss Hoshimi," the examiner said, looking sore that he lost. He bowed and walked away.

Akane smirked as she turned to walk away as well, unaware that she was being watched. Akane smiled as she walked up the stairs, coming face-to-face with a rather handsome boy with two-toned brown hair. He smiled back at her.

"Hi,_"_ the boy said.

"Hello,_"_ Akane returned the greeting.

"That was an awesome duel,_"_ the boy told her. "You just might be the second best duelist here._"_

"Thanks... um,_"_ Akane faltered, looking at the boy wide-eyed.

_**"**__**Jaden Yuki, please report to Field 3. Jaden Yuki, please report to Field 3**_._"_

"Well, it's go time,_"_ the boy named Jaden said. "Wish me luck, guys._"_

"Hold on!_"_ Akane called out. He paused to look at her. "If I'm second best, then who's first?_"_

"You're looking at him,_"_ Jaden told her. "It's what I'm best at."

Then he ran off to the field where he had to face his own examiner, the Duel Academy teacher, Dr. Crowler. One look at that teacher, though, and Akane knew she'd be calling him a he-she in her thoughts for the rest of the year.

"He sure is confident, isn't he?_"_ Syrus commented.

"He has to be,_"_ Bastion said. "Look who he's dueling._"_

"All right, test time," Crowler said. "So, son, your name?"

"Uh?" Jaden fumbled, confused by the moniker for a moment. "Jaden, Jaden Yuki."

"Well, 'Uh Jaden Yuki,'" Crowler said. "I'm Dr. Vellian Crowler. Department Chair of Techniques here at Duel Academy."

"Wow," Jaden said in awe. "A Department Chair? I had no idea. From the way you were dressed, I was thinking you were some weird Academy mascot, like a majorette or a cheerleader."

The boy laughed, but Dr. Crowler didn't seem amused by the joke. Back up in the stands, Akane giggled, knowing that she was going to enjoy having Jaden around when he got into the school.

"Duel vest on," Dr. Crowler said.

"Hey!" Jaden said in even more awe. "That's pretty sweet, Teach! How do I get one of those cool duel blue blazers?"

"Oh, a lot of hard work and extremely high marks," Crowler answered. 'Of course, you'll have to get into Duel Academy first, and I'm going to make sure that won't be happening.'

"Well, I'm ready!" Jaden told him.

"So let's duel!" both Crowler and Jaden announced, activating their respective duel disks.

"Here goes," Jaden said as he drew his sixth card. "Sweet, I'm going to summon Elemental Hero Avian in defense mode! I'll also throw down a face down. All right. Get your game on!"

"Yes, very good," Crowler said. "Don't tell me what to do. All right. For this first move, I think I'll start out nice and easy. I choose to play the card Confiscation."

"Ok," Jaden said. "What's it do?"

"What it does is it lets me pay 1000 Life Points for a chance to peek at your hand and toss one of your cards into the graveyard," Crowler answered.

His Life Points dropped to 3000 points as Jaden's cards appeared in front of him.

"Huh, yes," he said. "I remember some of these from back when I was a naive rookie. Which one will I banish?" He then pointed to a card. "Monster Reborn, to the graveyard." The card turned around before being destroyed. "Next I lay two cards face down on the field and last, but not least, I play Heavy Storm. This spell card destroys every other spell and trap card on the field."

A storm started up, destroying both of their face down cards.

"Oopsy," Jaden said. "Did you forget that you had two trap cards out on the field yourself?"

"Now, now," Crowler said as he shook his head. "You mustn't speak out of turn, young scholar."

It was then that the field turned dark.

"What's happening?" Jaden asked.

"Nothing's happening," Crowler answered. "Not yet, and that's about to change."

Two golden, snake-like monsters appeared on the field, shocking not just the students down below, but Akane as well.

"Those cards can't be in any of the test decks," Akane said.

"Ready for your next lesson?" Crowler asked.

"You bet," Jaden answered. "I can't remember the last time learning was this much fun."

"Yes," Crowler said. "Well, I'm quite the excellent teacher. Thank you." Akane rolled her eyes at that. "Now I sacrifice my two Wicked Tokens and summon Ancient Gear Golem!"

Akane let out a sigh as she leaned against the railing in front of her from next to Syrus looking worried.

"What an elitist snob," Akane commented. "Bullying an amateur with his very best cards."

Bastion looked up at her with a confused look.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Confiscation, Statue of the Wicked, and Ancient Gear Golem," Akane pointed out. "Dr Crowler is using his own deck."

Syrus let out a gasp as Bastion turned back to the duel with new interest.

"Now, now," Crowler said. "I hope you're not too scared of my legendary Ancient Gear Golem."

"No way," Jaden said. "I've always wanted to take one on."

Zane leaned even more forward while stay standing in interest with Alexis next to him.

_"_He's staring down that legendary rare monster like he doesn't have a care in the world,_"_ Zane said in shock. _"_I guess that youth and inexperience have their benefits after all, huh, Alexis?_"_

_"_Come on, give it a rest, Zane,_"_ Alexis implored him. _"_At least the kid is showing some backbone._"_

_"_There won't be much left to show after this."

In the stand, Akane looked worried at this.

_"_Golem, attack!_"_ Crowler ordered with a laugh. _"_Mechanize Melee!_"_

Jaden's Life Points dropped to 2000 points.

Akane frowned, concern spreading across their faces. Jaden was hunched over and it looked like the boy was crying.

_"_Don't feel bad,_"_ Crowler told him with another laugh. _"_This is the top dueling school in the country. Some people are simply not cut out for-_"_

Jaden interrupted Dr. Crowler with a laugh. Akane, Syrus, and Bastion were shocked to find out that the boy wasn't crying, but laughing. Akane giggled at the sight.

_"_I really want to come to this school now,_"_ Jaden said. _"_You really know your stuff, Teach._"_ Jaden went to draw his next card, but paused. He was looking at the card with a strange smile, and seemed to be listening intently to something. _"_Ok, I summon Winged Kuriboh in defense mode. And I'll place one card face down. Not bad, eh, Teach?_"_

_"_Not bad, but you must understand that I'm a master technician,_" _Crowler chuckled. _"_A Kuriboh to me is rather pedestrian, even one with wings. You see, its defense points are still no match for my Ancient Gear Golem. It's a textbook mistake, don't feel bad._"_

"I really want to come to this school now," Jaden said. "You really know your stuff, Teach." Jaden went to draw his next card, but paused. He was looking at the card with a strange smile, and seemed to be listening intently to something. _"_Ok, I summon Winged Kuriboh in defense mode. And I'll place one card face down. Not bad, eh, Teach?"

_"_Not bad, but you must understand that I'm a master technician," Crowler chuckled. _"_A Kuriboh to me is rather pedestrian, even one with wings. You see, its defense points are still no match for my Ancient Gear Golem. It's a textbook mistake, don't feel bad."

'Stupid,' Akane thought as she watched. 'With Winged Kuriboh's special ability, it's not a textbook mistake.'

_"_Now, let's proceed," Crowler said as he drew his next card. _"_With the legendary Ancient Gear Golem. Attack that Kuriboh with Mechanize Melee!"

The Winged Kuriboh was destroyed, but nothing happened. Dr. Crowler frowned.

_"_Check your gear," he snapped at Jaden. _"_Your Life Points haven't changed."

_"_My gear is fine," Jaden stated. _"_On the turn Winged Kuriboh is destroyed, I take zero damage."

Alexis blinked a few times before letting a smile appear.

_"_How about that?" Alexis mused. _"_A technique the doctor didn't know."

_"_No one can be expected to know every technique, Alexis," Zane said. _"_Especially one as obscure as that."

_"_Yeah, well, that kid sure knew it."

_"_Fine, fine," Crowler said. _"_I guess your lame little monster saved you there."

_"_Hey, slow down there, Teach," Jaden told him. _"_You may have beaten him, but that doesn't give you the right to call him lame."

_"_Oh yes," Crowler said. _"_I forget how attached you new duelists get to your monsters. I'm sorry."

_"_Yeah," Jaden agreed. _"_Well, you should be, because by attacking my Winged Kuriboh, you set off a trap card. One of my favorite's, too: Hero Signal. And that brings out my second Elemental Hero, Burstinatrix!"

A female hero appeared on the field in front of them.

_"_My turn," Jaden announced as he drew his next card. _"_All right, Winged Kuriboh, this next one is going to be for you. Here goes nothing! First, I'm going to bring Avian back to my hand with the spell card The Warrior Returning Alive! And now I'm going to summon him to the field."

Akane smiled as she watched the male hero reappear on the field next to Burstinatrix. Syrus looked at the girl next to him with a raised eyebrow before looking back to the duel. Bastion, however, just shock his head knowingly.

_"_Oh, ok," Crowler said. _"_Another amateur mistake. This is good, this is good. Now would anyone like to tell me what our little friend here..."

_"_No, actually, I wasn't done yet,"Jaden told him. _"_See, I know that my two heroes aren't powerful by themselves, but if I can form them together, it's another story. And I have just the card to unite them. Polymerization joins Avian and Burstinatrix together. Fusion summon! There he is: the Elemental Hero, Flame Wingman!"

A green and red monster appeared on the field.

_"_I hope your Gear Golem is ready for a clash of the titans. So, Teach, what do you think?"

_"_I think you're dueling very well for an amateur, but next time try playing a monster that has more Attack Points than the one that's already out," Crowler told him.

'Idiot,' Mayumi thought.

"All right, young scholar, I don't mean to rush you, but I am a busy man," Crowler said. "Are you done yet?""

_"_Of course I'm not done yet," Jaden answered. _"_And of course I knew that my Flame Wingman has less Attack Points than your Golem, but that's why I have this. Skyscraper!" Jaden placed a card into a slot on the side of his duel disk. Buildings shot up into the air all around them, forming a tall cityscape. _"_All right, Flame Wingman. Go show them heroics and attack that Ancient Gear Golem!"

"Fine with me," Crowler said. _"_Bring him on. This silly little Skyscraper field card hasn't lowered my Golem's attack by one point."

"You want to know what, Teach?" Jaden asked. "You're right. This Skyscraper field hasn't lowered your Golem's attack. What it's done is raise my Elemental Hero Flame Wingman's by a grand total of 1000 points."

_"_Wait, time out!" Crowler said in shock.

_"_Go!" Jaden ordered. _"_Sky Dive Scorcher!"

Jaden's monster did as it was told to do and attacked the Ancient Gear Golem.

_"_This can't be," Crowler said, still in shock. _"_He was my very best card."

_"_And because of my Wingman's super power," Jaden went on. _"_The Attack points of that Golem becomes direct damage straight to your Life Points. Sweet, huh?"

_"_No way."

Crowler's Life Points plummeted to zero.

_"_That's game," Jaden said, striking a pose. _"_So I guess I passed the test, eh, Teach?"

_"_That kid's got a future here," Alexis said in awe. _"_Wow."

Zane just humphed before walking away, leaving Alexis to watch the boy on the field. In the stands, Akane smiled as she watched Dr. Crowler start to mumble to himself, obviously pissed off that he had lost while Jaden jumped around blewing kisses to the crowd.


	2. 2: Welcome to Duel Academy!

__**2: Welcome to Duel Academy!**__

Akane let out a sigh as she looked around the place with a smile before walking towards the helicopter that was close by. Annabelle soon joined her and the two girls walked onto the helicopter, ready for their fun filled school year. Once aboard, they saw Jaden, Syrus, and Bastion already sitting down. Akane walked over to sit next to Bastion as Annabelle sat across from them, at which point Bastion greeted them.

"Hey," Jaden greeted her with a smile.

"Hey," Akane replied, returning his smile.

"That was some show," Jaden said.

"It was downright embarrassing," Annabelle stated.

"What was?" Akane asked, looking confused.

"Oh, just my older brother and his friends making a scene," Annabelle answered like it was nothing.

Jaden laughed before settling back in his seat to get comfortable before the flight. After the helicopter took off, Jaden fell asleep, making Akane and Annabelle laugh. They soon turned their attention to Bastion and started to talk about what life would be like at the Academy, along with other things like the course curriculum and what dorms they would be in. It was not long until Duel Academy island came into view and they stopped talking to look out the window.

_"__Attention, new Duel Academy students_," the pilot announced. "_If you look outside your windows, you'll see your new home away from home. Now, I know you're all excited, but don't shove. Quite the sight, ay? Fasten your seat belts and turn your seats back into the upright position. We're going to land. Next stop: Duel Academy island_."

...My Line...

Akane stood next to Annabelle, wearing her new uniform: a white vest outlined in blue that she had left open over a tight, sleeveless black shirt, and faded blue skinny jeans. She had accessorized the uniform with a with a blue leather belt that has another black leather belt hanging off right hip that complimented the dog tag hanging off a black leather dog collar-like chocker around the neck she always wore. Akane finished the uniform with blue tight elbow length fingerless gloves and blue tennis shoes. The other girl's uniform was similar: she wore the same vest, but her black shirt was a sleeveless turtleneck, and she had opted for a blue mini-skirt instead of shorts. Annabelle was also wearing fingerless blue gloves, four black bracelets on both her wrists, and blue tennis shoes.

The two of them were looking at a screen when Akane heard a snore all of a sudden from a few feet away from her, causing her to look over to Jaden, who had fallen asleep standing up. Akane raised a brow, but turned back to the screen when she heard a voice.

_"__Good morning and welcome, my students_," said a bald man wearing a mahogany jacket who appeared on the screen. "_I am Chancellor Sheppard, the headmaster here, and you are the best and the brightest duelists in the world. Now, please get yourself settled in to your assigned dorms. I think you'll find them quite comfortable, depending on how you are ranked, of course. Haha_!"

...My Line...

Akane and Annabelle were walking with Bastion as they talked more about the school when they heard someone talking loudly ahead of them. They looked up to see Jaden and Syrus. When Jaden caught sight of them, he smiled.

"Hey, are you in red, too?" he asked.

"Well, now let's see here," Bastion said as he stopped. "Yellow sleeves, yellow buttons... I don't think so."

"Oh, I get it," Jaden said. "So that's why Sy and I are in red."

"Please don't tell us that you just figured that out now?" Bastion asked as Akane and Annabelle sweatdropped.

"So what?" Jaden asked. "Ever think I might be colorblind?"

"Well, no, I didn't," Bastion said. "Are you colorblind?"

"No, but I could have been!" Jaden answered with a laugh as Bastion, Akane, and Annabelle started to walk away. "See you around the dorms!"

"I doubt that," Bastion said as he stopped to turn back to Jaden. "Your dorm is over there."

Jaden and Syrus looked to where Bastion was pointing. Bastion, Akane, and Annabelle walked off talking again, but they soon went their separate ways to the get to their dorms.

...My Line...

Akane and Annabelle walked into the Obelisk Girls' Dorm. Three girls came up to them as soon as they entered, wearing the same uniform.

"Hello," a blonde haired girl greeted them.

"What's up?" Annabelle replied.

"Hello," Akane returned the greeting.

"I'm Alexis Rhodes," the girl told them. "And these are my friends, Jasmine and Mindy."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Akane Hoshimi."

"And I'm Annabelle Bakura, but call me Anna."

"Nice to meet you," Alexis said.

"You too," Anna agreed.

"Well, we have to go unpack our things," Akane announced with a smile.

"We'll come with you," Mindy said.

"Okay," the two friends agreed.

Akane and Anna led Alexis, Mindy, and Jasmine to their rooms where they unpacked their things and put up posters of their favorite Duel Monsters, bands, singers, movies, and anime. After everything was in its place, they walked out of Anna's room talking about Duel Monsters, which one was their favorite, and which ones they found cute. When they reached the main hall, they were greeted by a woman with hot pink hair pulled up into a ponytail who Anna and Akane recognized as a teacher.

"Girls, can you all go and round up the other Obelisks for the welcome feast?" she asked.

"Of course, Miss Fontaine," they chimed before the five of them turned to leave.

Alexis, Anna, and Akane headed for the Duel Arena on the other side of the hall while Mindy and Jasmine headed in the opposite direction to round up the other students. As soon as they entered the arena, the three girls noticed five people standing across from them, two of which were in Slifer red jackets. Akane and Anna recognized the two Slifers right away, while Alexis seemed to know the remaining Obelisk students. They walked up to the group, crossing their arms over their chests as they looked the boys over.

"Well, this sure is a motley crew," Anna commented.

"Hey, Alexis," one of the boys greeted her with a smirk. "Have you come to watch me mop the floor with my new little friend Jaden here? It'll be a short duel, but an entertaining one for sure."

"I'm here to remind you about the Obelisk welcome dinner," Alexis answered. "You're late."

"Oh, yeah," the boy said lazily. "Come on, guys."

After the boy and his posse walked out of the arena, the girls turned to Jaden and Syrus.

"Sorry if Chazz rubbed you the wrong way," Alexis said. "Not all of us Obelisks are like that. He's just a jerk, especially with Slifers."

"It's no big deal," Jaden told her. "Those types don't really bother me at all." The girls looked at him in surprise. "Besides, I could have beaten him in one turn."

"We've got to work n that overconfidence," Syrus said.

"Oh, two turns, maybe two and a half," Jaden said.

Akane started to laugh, which seemed to confuse Jaden.

"What?" he asked.

"The Slifer welcome dinner is probably about to start, too," Akane reminded him with a smile.

"Right," Jaden stated before turning around. "We better go, Sy."

"Hey, wait up!" Syrus called after him as he started to run.

Jaden stopped suddenly, turning around to face the girls and jogging in place.

"Oh, hey!" he shouted. "What were your names again?"

"Alexis Rhodes!"

"Annabelle Bakura."

"Akane Hoshimi! And yours?"

"The name's Jaden!" he called back before turning around. "All right, see ya around!"

"Aren't you going to introduce me?" Syrus asked.

"Jaden?" Akane repeated his name with a smile.

Anna and Alexis looked at each other for a moment before their giggles caught Akane's attention.

"Akane and Jaden sittin' in a tree," Anna started to sing.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G," Alexis joined in.

"Oh, shut up," Akane snapped, blushing. "Let's get back to the dorms."

...My Line...

Jasmine, Mindy, Alexis, Akane, and Anna stood together talking and laughing about a lot of things as the other students mingled around them. They had found out that while they had little in common with each other, they could all still talk and laugh with one another easily. It was Mindy that brought up the topic of boys late in the evening.

"Akane, is there someone you like?" she asked.

"I'm not really sure," Akane answered. "I'm just getting to know him."

"Is it that Bastion guy?" Jasmine asked.

"Bastion?" Akane asked in surprise before she started to laugh. "No, no. I've only just met Bastion."

"Oh, then is it Chazz?" Mindy asked.

"No way on Earth," Akane answered. "And anyways I know for a fact that I won't be able to stand Chazz."

"Then who?" they both asked insistently.

"Well, I met this Slifer red student while I was gathering the other Obelisk students," Akane answered. "He's kind and funny."

"WHAT?!" Mindy exclaimed in shock.

"Really?" Jasmine seconded her disbelief. "A Slifer?"

"He's the one who beat Dr. Crowler," Akane answered. "Or, as I like to call him, that he-she."

"I think you should stick with someone from the Obelisk Blue Dorm," Jasmine said with a bit of a chuckle.

Alexis and Anna, however, were both in a full-blown laughing fit.

"What about you, Anna?" Mindy asked as she looked over to the other girl.

"I don't know yet," Anna answered once she had calmed down. "But I would rather be focusing on my dueling skills than boys right now."

All four of the other girls started to laugh at that. It was not long until they all felt tired and headed off to bed. Instead of going to their rooms, though, Alexis and Akane headed out of the main hall and back to the duel arena.

...My Line...

They walked in on the middle of a duel just as Syrus asked about a trap that Chazz had played.

"I had a feeling I'd find you here," Akane told him as she took a spot on the sideline to watch.

"Akane, Alexis?" Syrus asked as he looked at them.

"Chthonion Polymer is a nasty trap," Alexis started to explain. "It'll allow you to take control of an opponent's Fusion Monster by sacrificing one of your own creatures."

"Oh no," Syrus said in alarm. "Jaden just summoned a Fusion Monster."

"I sacrifice Reborn Zombie to gain control of your Flame Wingman," Chazz told Jaden.

"My monster!"

"How did Chazz know to play that?" Syrus asked.

"You're so predictable, Jaden," Chazz went on. "You wouldn't stop talking about that Wingman at the exam, so I knew you'd use him."

"Still, since Flame Wingman was special summoned, that means I'm allowed to normal summon a monster to the field," Jaden reminded him before looking down at his hand. 'Not that anything in my hand is a match for the Flame Wingman,' he thought.

'Go on, you Slifer slacker,' Chazz thought. 'Play another monster. After all, I haven't forgotten about Flame Wingman's super power.'

"All right," Jaden said as he picked a card from his hand. "I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in defense mode. There, all set."

"Yeah, set up to be knocked down," Chazz sneered as he drew a new card. "Chthonian Soldier rise and now, Flame Wingman! Attack with Sky Dive Scorcher!" Flame Wingman did as it was told and destroyed Jaden's monster. "And now, thanks to Flame Wingman's super power, you take damage equal to your destroyed monster's attack points."

Jaden's life points dropped to 3200.

"Don't think that I'm done yet, Slacker," Chazz told him. "Chthonian Soldier! Attack with Wind Storm Slash!"

Jaden's life points went down another 1200 points.

"Are you starting to know your place here at the academy yet?" Chazz asked. "Maybe you were somebody back home, but here in the big leagues you're nothing but a pathetic little amateur Slifer slime. I'll end my turn with a face down card. Go ahead, Slacker!"

Akane looked to Jaden with worry and saw his shoulders shaking. His head was down so she could not tell if he was laughing or crying. Chazz made it obvious he thought his opponent was doing the latter.

"Ah, what's wrong, baby?" Chazz asked in a baby voice. "Are you crying?"

Akane giggled when Jaden lifted his head, a full grin on his face as he laughed.

"This is too fun!" Jaden said.

"What?" Chazz asked, taken aback.

"Just what I came for," Jaden stated. "Man, I mean the trash talking, the action. It's just all so great."

"What the...?"

"I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman!" Jaden announced as he played his card. "All right, Sparkman! Now attack with Static Shock Wave!"

Sparkman did as Jaden had told it to do, attacking Chazz's Chthonian Soldier and destroying it. Akane looked up to see the Chthonian Soldier's sword fly up into the air before it flung itself right at Jaden. Chazz's life points dropped to 3600 points, but Jaden's life points dwindled down to 1600.

"Still think it's great, Slacker?" Chazz asked. "Because when Chthonian Soldier is destroyed, you receive the same amount of damage to your life points as I do. The difference is that you hardly have any to spare. It's just a matter of time, Slacker. Your best card is about to be all mine."

"This isn't over yet," Jaden told him. "I throw down a face down."

"Play what you like," Chazz stated as he drew a new card from his deck. "My next attack is about to finish off your life points. And that attack is coming right now. Go, Flame Wingman!"

The Flame Wingman lunged at Sparkman, who rose to meet the attack.

"Not so fast," Jaden announced. "That was a trap I just threw."

"A trap?" Chazz asked as the trap card revealed itself.

"It's Mirror Gate," Syrus said with shock.

"Then Jaden's still in this duel after all," Akane gasped. "Mirror Gate makes two monsters in a battle switch the sides they're on, so that means that Flame Wingman is back with Jaden."

"Oh yeah!" Jaden shouted. "Go Wingman!"

"No!" Chazz cried out.

Flame Wingman was able to beat Sparkman with ease, and Chazz's life points dropped to 3100.

"And just like you told me a little while ago," Jaden went on. "Don't forget about my Wingman's super power! You take damage equal to the attack points of your destroyed monster!"

Chazz's life points dropped even more, leaving him with 1500.

"All right!" Syrus shouted.

"Nice moves, Jaden," Alexis called out the compliment.

"That's the way!" Akane cheered.

Jaden held up a peace sign over his shoulder at them.

"Those moves were more luck than skill, if you ask me, Slifer scum," Chazz sneered. "All right, I activate Chthonian Blast. Since one of my monsters was destroyed, I can destroy one of yours and you take damage equal to half of its attack points."

"Flame Wingman!" Jaden called out as his monster was destroyed.

His life points dropped to a mere 550 points.

"Now I activate the trap card, Call of the Haunted," Chazz went on. "It lets me select one monster card from my graveyard and summon it back onto the field in attack mode. Rise, Inferno Warrior! But he won't be staying on the field for long, because I'm going to sacrifice him to summon Nefise the Inferno General."

Akane raised a brow at the monster that Chazz had just summoned.

"Not bad," Jaden commented.

"Not bad?" Chazz asked, surprised. "You're something else, Slacker, you know that? Acting all confident, but your lousy monsters won't get you out of this jam."

Akane felt her eye twitch at that, but before Jaden could play his next card, she heard the sound of footsteps coming their way. It sounded like it was coming from the direction of the entrance to the arena.

"Uh, guys!" Akane called. "We got company. Campus security. If they find all of us here we'll be seriously busted."

"What?" Syrus asked in shock.

"Why?" Jaden asked. "I mean, we're all students here."

Akane and Alexis pulled out their student handbooks to show it to Jaden.

"The rules say 'no off hour arena duels,'" Alexis told him. "Chazz knows that."

Akane and Alexis glared at Chazz, who blushed.

"But let us guess," Akane said dryly. "He didn't tell you."

"Come on," one of Chazz's goons spoke up. "Let's go."

"Well, well, Slacker," Chazz said as he looked at Jaden. "Looks like you lucked out this time."

"What are you talking about?" Jaden asked. "The match isn't over."

"Yeah, it is," Chazz told him. "I saw what I came to see. You're a sorry duelist. You beating Dr. Crowler was just a fluke."

Akane and Alexis watched as Chazz and his goons left before looking back to Jaden, who was fuming.

"Jaden, we've got to get out here!" Syrus called to him.

"Yeah, he's right," Akane said.

"Come on," Syrus started to beg. "Let's go."

"This stinks," Jaden muttered as he looked off to the side, pouting with his arms crossed. "I had that guy on the ropes."

"Come on," Syrus tried to tell him.

...My Line...

They had finally gotten outside after having to push Jaden off the duel field because he was too busy sulking over not getting to finish the duel.

"You really are stubborn, Jaden," Akane told him.

"Only about my dueling," Jaden said.

Syrus looked between Akane and Alexis, but both of their attentions were on Jaden.

"Thanks for showing us the back way out," he told them.

"Sure," Alexis said. "I'm just sorry that you didn't get to finish your match with Chazz."

"That's okay," Jaden told her. "I know just how it would have ended anyways."

"Really?" Akane asked. "No offense, but from our point of view it looked like it could have gone either way between you and Chazz when you guys stopped."

"No way," Jaden said with a hing of a laugh. "Not after I drew this."

He flipped the card that he still had in his hand around to show them that it was Monster Reborn. The girls stared in shock, knowing that he must have been planning to bring his Flame Wingman back from the graveyard and end the duel.

"See ya," Jaden told them as he put his card back before walking off.

"Wait up!" Syrus ran to catch up with Jaden.

Akane and Alexis watched them leave with smiles on their faces.

'This is going to be an interesting year.'

The girls headed back to the Obelisk Blue Girls' Dorm, knowing that they had to get to bed or they would never wake up in time for classes in the morning.

...My Line...

They snuck up the stairs and down the halls to their respective rooms.

"Well, see you in the morning, Aka," Alexis told her, stifling a yawn.

"Right," Akane agreed, too tired to comment on the new nickname.

They went their separate ways and entered their rooms. Akane changed and climbed into bed, falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.


End file.
